Yerkrapah Volunteer Union will back President Serzh Sargsyan in next year’s presidential election, board chairman Manvel Grigoryan said during the 9th meeting of the union on Saturday.

Asked whether that means endorsing the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) headed by President Sargsyan during May parliamentary elections, Grigoryan said there has been no discussion of that. Yerkrapah claims no political allegiance.

“The president is our comrade-in-arms and we will support him,” Gregorian said.

Grigoryan mentioned that Sargsyan was Defense Minister during the national-liberation movement in Karabakh, and Yerkrapah was under his command. The powerful leader stressed that Sargsyan attended the Union’s meeting as President of Armenia and not RPA leader.

Yerkrapah Volunteer Union was established in 1993 and now has more than 10,000 members, most being veterans of the Karabakh war.